Optifast helped Cris break his food addiction and lose weight

-City & country: Asheville, North Carolina, USA
-Age: 32
-Weight before diet: 265 lbs.
-Weight now: 196 lbs.
-Target weight: 185 lbs.

A series of changes in lifestyle choices led Cris to where he is now, just several pounds away from his weight goal and fitter than ever. The Optifast program was important in the breaking of his food addiction, but his whole attitude and mindset towards weight loss and a healthy way of life are perhaps even more so in his success. Here, Cris shares his progress and gives some tips on getting started and staying motivated.

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
I had been struggling with weight for years, and resolved many times to lose the weight - before my wedding day, after our Disney trip when it was uncomfortable and embarassing to ride attractions, before my wife and I went to the beach.  Then came my yearly checkup last year, when my doctor recommended I start taking cholesterol medication. 

It was a startling realization with catastrophic implications: if I began taking medication at 31 to treat symptoms of obesity, I stood a good chance of becoming one of those people who, over time, just accepts being overweight - "It's just the way I am."  For myself, for my family, for my future children for whom I desperately want to be the dad that pushes swings and runs during hide-and-seek - for all these things, I had to change.  I began coaching myself on awareness and choices, recognizing that I chose to be overweight - my choices were present in the foods I chose to eat, the activities I chose not to participate in, the portion sizes I chose to consume.  Through awareness, I began to change my choices; through choice, I exercised power over my obesity.

-What type of weight loss program did you follow?
Optifast

-Why did you choose this weight loss program?
I knew I needed two things: a support group and food detox.  Food for me was what meth must be for addicts - in order to break the physical and emotional addictions, I needed to stop thinking about food, preparing food, making food choices.  As you go through the Optifast program I participated in, you make your food selections from a very limited menu of products, mostly liquid.  Without this stimulus narrowing, I don't think I could have successfully broken my addiction.

-How long were you on your weight loss program?
12 weeks for active weight loss.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to maintain your weight and to stay fit?
I currently enjoy hiking with my wife and dog, mountain biking and racquetball.  In the spring, I will start playing volleyball (one of my passions) for the first time in years.

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
For me, emotional eating is the siren song that beckons me away from my new lifestyle of fitness.  Now that I am aware of my choices and habits, it is easy to identify when I am craving emotional comfort; sometimes, however, it seems equally easy to give in just this once.  I have to remember it was a string of "just this once"-es that led to obesity in the first place.  

-How did you keep yourself motivated?
I set two types of goals:
1) Goal weight - I remember feeling healthy in high school when I played sports year around and had better eating habits.  I haven't grown much since then, so I chose my high school weight of 185 lbs as my goal weight.

2) Daily goals - I identified habits that fit people have, and made those my daily goals, like "drink 64oz+ water a day" and "walk at least 30 minutes a day."  By making my goals specific and achievable, I broke the overwhelming task of losing 85 lbs into small goals, kept myself motivated with daily successes and practiced healthy lifestyle changes.

Also, I involved my support group in my decisions, both before and during my weight loss.  My wife attended the Optifast learning session with me; I told our parents months in advance of the lifestyle changes I would be making.  Doing so made them feel involved, and thus more likely to participate in my success however they could, sharing compliments and positive feedback and making lifestyle changes themselves.

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
The most common question I hear is "how do I start?"  I remember being overwhelmed, even after starting to lose weight, at how large a change I was making.  I remember being frustrated and feeling stupid each time I made the decision to lose weight, then found myself at McDonalds the following day.  Getting started is the most important, and hardest, step to take.

I've started writing a series of 10 steps to jump start your fitness, which starts at http://www.thelifeledger.com/2007/03/03/10-steps-to-jump-start-your-fitness-step-1-get-started.  This list is based on my own experience, along with input from friends and readers.  The short version is:

1) Set your starting point, recording information like weight, BMI, and body measurements
2) Set your goals - set both a goal weight and several daily goals
3) Start counting *all* calories, including beverages, condiments and "just a bite" snacks
4) Start cutting calories - calculate your suggested daily caloric intake, learn correct portion sizes, and more
5) Drink at least 64oz water a day, drink water during meals
6) Integrate "exercise" into daily life - schedule time for exercise in your to-do list, start practicing lifestyle changes like taking stairs and parking further away from buildings
7) Decrease stress
8) Eat proactively - eat several smaller meals through out the day
9) Involve your support group
10) Shift your paradigm - thinking of your body as a bank account, with credits (exercise) and debits (calories) helps reinforce the idea this is a lifestyle change, not a temporary weight-loss goal

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
It took years to develop the habits that led to my weight-gain; I expect it will take a while to replace them with healthy habits.  Some are easy, like no longer eating fast food (I pack my meals or find healthier alternatives); some are harder, like not snacking during meal preparation or grazing at gatherings.  To prevent slipping back into old unhealthy habits, I practice awareness in two different ways:

1) I weigh daily.  I don't freak when my weight fluctuates from day to day, but I do watch for trends.  I set an alarm weight of 5 lbs over my current weight; when I reach my alarm weight, I know I'm slipping back.

2) I count every calorie every day.  Over time, I learn how to judge a meal's caloric content without looking it up.  Also, if I have to write down every bite I take while grazing at a party, I'm much less likely to eat it in the first place.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helped or inspired you to lose weight?
I started The Life Ledger at to encourage myself and others to be more conscious of consumption, whether it be food, consumerism, mass-media or otherwise. I personally feel a person's consumption is the root of many other inter-connected problems, like obesity and financial instability.

I use FitDay to log calories and exercise, and I like the communities at Traineo and Calorie-Count.